


Bugs in the Dirt

by ManChildEvolution



Series: Sakuras Gay lol [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 2nd chunin exams, Canon Typical Violence, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Naruto Rare Pair Bingo 2019, Slow Burn, Swearing, but then, fuu is baby, this was going to be a one shot, you know me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-04-05 20:35:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19047931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManChildEvolution/pseuds/ManChildEvolution
Summary: Sakura is positive that her team will be unstoppable for the exams. They've prepared for this, her and Ino and Choji, for months. Their teamwork is flawless, and Sakura fits in to Shikamaru's place almost perfectly. However, the Kazekage decides to add a bizarre twist to the exams.





	1. Bugs and Band Aids

A band-aid peels itself from Fu’s uncooperative fingertip, and Sakura lets a groan tumble out of her mouth. “Why does this keep happening?” She shoved the discarded wrapping into a pocket of her medical pouch, with no amount of grace and every amount of exasperation. “ _Why_ is it always you?!”

“I have a tendency to relentlessly tear away at hangnails,” Fu supplies. “Often overestimating the amount of dead skin on my fingertips, and causing bodily harm, ssu.” The green-haired kunoichi shrugs, tugging her hand from Sakura’s grip.

“I know all about bodily harm,” Sakura hisses. She reaches forward again to slap her palm into a hold on Fu’s forearm. “All the things that could happen out here, you get hurt ripping off hangnails.” The dry desert sand stirred around them. The blankness of what hadn’t been kicked up by the wind had stretched for miles, like a pale canvas.

Teamwork had been an ongoing theme in the current chunin exams. Sakura had expected loyalty, with the earlier trick question about leaving behind comrades. She had been proven wrong once they were each partnered with a genin from a rival village for the second stage of the test.

“Are you hurt?” Fu ripped her hand away, jumping to her feet. “Shit, man, you don’t look hurt. That means it’s internal, ssu.” Genuine concern sparkled in her golden eyes, Sakura admired her innocence. The Taki nin’s jaw hung like the spare kunais strung to Sakura’s holster. The lower half of Fu’s face is idle, while the nose up is brimming with energy, captivation, and curiosity.

“No, you! You’re hurt!” Sakura didn’t bother adding that it was only a small tear on flesh of her index finger. The Konoha medic rolled her eyes, feeling as though she was once again taking care of a hyperactive and oh-so-innocent partner.

An unblemished hand is shoved in Sakura’s face. Void of any cut or missing nails. “What’re you talking about, Miss Sakura? I’m fine.” Fu lets her arm drop to her side and offers a closed-mouth smile that’s stretched as far as it could go without looking unsettling.

Puzzled, Sakura pulls up the hand, searching for the minor wound that had been there. Her fingers pause at the previously identified site, noting the crimson blood to drying, despite any incision. Her eyes meet Fu’s, wondering if she would find a hidden glimpse of intelligence required for accelerated healing jutsu.

In an instant, the Taki ninja’s face is right up to Sakura’s. “You really like my hand, don’t you Miss Sakura? Ssu!” This time, her smile is all teeth. Rows of tiny, razor-sharp points. If it wasn’t for the childlike tone of Fu’s voice, Sakura would have pulled away. Instead, she shakes her head as she draws back, and pushes Fu with an outstretched palm.

“Oi, Miss Sakura!” The other nin sprang backwards, “I can’t see when you do that.” She swats at her face as if trying to clear away gnats.

Sakura places her hands on her hips, assuming her scold-Naruto-no-jutsu pose. “Fu! We need to stay _focused_!” They’d been in the Demon Desert for several hours now, and the two genin had no luck in finding the team with their opposite scroll. The sand rustles under Fu’s feet as sheet jumps into a mock salute. “Right, focused. We’re focused, ssu!” She chimes, entirely missing the point of Sakura’s remark. “ _But_ ,” she drawls, and it’s a long ‘but’, stretched out in a whine. “We have three days, Miss Sakura.” The words roll off her tongue with an ambition that says she plans to much more than find the heaven scroll.

Sakura takes a steady breath, forcing down the impending burst of annoyance, and reminds herself Fu isn’t some cheerful, orange-clad boy she’s known for years. “If we want to prove ourselves worthy of being made chunin,” she starts, “then we need to show that we can stay on task.” Her eyes wander to the barren land around them. “The Kazekage probably has chunin and jonin watching us.”

Fu picks at her nails absentmindedly. “Oh, he definitely does.” Her voice, Sakura thinks, is like a cacophony of buzzing insects when she’s bored like this. “He’s got that third eye thing searching around. Kinda freaky shit, ssu.”

“He’s got _what_?” Sakura tenses, she’d known that she would be watched, but something about it being the Kazekage himself was all the more unsettling. “Fu, we’re a team. You’ve got to tell me these things.”

Distracted by the sun’s light reflecting off of her nails, Fu fails to notice. “That mystical palm technique you did earlier was cool.” She tilts her knuckles in the sunlight, playing with the photo effects. “Why does your chakra turn green?” She buzzes.

The veins of Sakura’s forehead are one ssu away from bursting, and part of her wants to throw a chakra-charged fist in Fu’s direction, to show her her pretty green hands. “It’s _medical ninjutsu_.” She grits out, “I can do it because I’m a _medic ninja_.”

Eye’s the color of solid amber finally peel themselves away from sun basked fingertips. “I know, that wasn’t the question.” Despite the arrogance of the words, there isn’t a touch of venom in Fu’s voice, only genuine curiosity. “Hey, Miss Sakura, the sun is setting. Ssu.”

 _Oh fuck_.

“I’ll make a cocoon.”

_Oh fuck, what did she say?_

Sakura’s eyes first wander to the west, and the rest of her body turns with her. Then, her head tilts around to search Fu’s face of any context for the odd comment. None.

The little genin weaves several hand signs as threads pull from the open space around them. They stack over each other, forming a dome-like structure. It closes several feet above their heads, and casts and eerie green glow to the surrounding space.

Sakura worms at the sand below her with the side of her boot, “It’s… not very discrete.” Her gaze wanders the walls of the cocoon, the walls are the same brilliant green of her eyes.

Fu shrugs and extends her arms out in a welcoming gesture. “Doesn’t need to be, ssu!” She lets them drop to her sides again, like dead flies. “People will see us, so either the team with our scroll will come to us, or we’ll get to meet people!" Her eyes seem to shimmer at the last part of her sentence. Looking closer, Sakura almost thinks she sees not two eyes, but thousands, all moving in unison.

Not catching her staring, Fu goes on. “I really only signed up for this to meet people.” She clasps tiny hands together and grins, “I love the thought of meeting people.” Her expression softens, and Sakura feels like the grin isn’t meant for her, it’s private.

Sakura seats herself, folding her legs into a pretzel shape. “Is Takigakure really that small?” Her fingers tap against the side of her boot. “You must be a force to be reckoned with, you’re the only non-elemental village with a jinchuuriki.” She lifts her gaze from the desert floor and sees that Fu is giving her an awkward stare.

“We don’t use our jinchuuriki as a weapon,” Fu explains. Despite the change in her facial expression, Fu’s tone retains its’ lighthearted buzz. “Taki _always_ makes strong jonin. We’re better than anybody else at containing tailed beasts!” There’s a faint hint of aggression behind her tone.

Staring at the floor, Sakura takes a moment to pulled the meaning of the explanation together. “You guys were the best option of keeping it under control while it’s idle.” She looks up at Fu. “Temporary storage.” Her voice is soft, unease prickles in her chest. Eventually, one of the other villages would want that tailed beast, and Takigakure would have to forfeit its jinchuuriki.

A look of indigence flits across Fu’s face. “Takigakure will always have Chomei! He’s _ours_ , ssu!” She points to her chest with two hands, turning her nose up at Sakura. “Konoha, can’t have him back. We may have learned to be kinder, but we’re not weak!”

The sudden outburst of the go-lucky kunoichi has Sakura taken aback. “ _Jeez_ , no one’s trying to take anything from you.” Sakura forces herself into a friendly posture. “Is that his name, Chomei? The jinchuuriki?”

The swarming energy inside Fu cools from upset to compliance. “Chomei is his name, ssu.” Her shoulders slump, the fabric of her top sliding with them as they did. “I don’t… think our jinchuuriki is too sociable, or well liked.” _They have names?_ Thoughts of the great demon fox that surged beneath Naruto’s flesh crossed her mind. Names gave things personhood. Thoughts. Feelings. Did the nine tails have feelings? _What’s his name?_ “I think that’s common.”

Fu folded her legs down next to Sakura. “Everyone should be able to make friends. That’s gotta be like, a right, or something.”

“Or something,” Sakura nods. A yawn from Fu brings her attention away from the discussion. “Do you want to take sleeping shifts?” She offers, a gentle gaze turning to the tiny genin.

Laughter gargles from Fu’s mouth, “We don’t need to do that, ssu!” Her peculiar eyes trial the walls of the cocoon. “This should keep us safe from just about everything. Save for those Hyuuga kids, but the cute one seems nice.”

Sakura doesn’t bother to ask which one the cute one is. If the superficial feelings she occasionally succumbed to were anything to go by, she already knew. “What’s this made of?” She scooted closer to the wall, too tired to argue with the other kunoichi.

“Super cool non-medical ninjutsu stuff!” Fu announced, folding her arms over chest. “It’s soft, too!” The closed-mouth smile stretched across her face. _It does look awkward_ , Sakura decides, but it wasn’t disturbing. _Cute_. “I’ve been trained in combat too, you know.” Sakura placed a hand on her hip and tapped against the kunai knives in her holster. Unfortunately, her companion wasn’t paying attention, and had taken on a faraway look in her eyes. The Taki nin’s eyelids drooped, and her head bobbed, as if nodding to someone that wasn’t there.

With a muttered, “Sure,” Fu leaned her back against the wall of the cocoon, and nodded off. Sakura again felt that feeling that neither the remark nor the nodding were meant for her.


	2. Digging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates and the fact that this isn't beta read have some lesbians

Hot Sun beat down on Sakura’s back as she trudged through the desert. Judging by its position, it was roughly eight in the morning. To her surprise, Fuu had been the first one awake, and had already begun to dissolve the cocoon when Sakura herself woke. Annoyance had prickled in her bosom at the fact that Fuu hadn’t woken her up, but she quickly softened upon realizing that letting her sleep was only a gesture of kindness.

 

Obtaining water had been less of a hassle than Sakura expected. In fact, Fuu had refilled both of their water bottles, and told Sakura to ask if she needed more. Sakura didn’t bother to ask where the water came from. A water style jutsu would make the most sense, but the jutsu caster would need an immense amount of strength to convert their own raw chakra into usable water. She was getting the feeling that Fuu was much, much more powerful than at first glance. 

 

Said kunoichi was flitting along beside Sakura with the bubbling, light energy of a honey bee. Or perhaps a butterfly, something gentle and bright. Fuu’s bug summons had reported the nearest locations of other chakra signatures, the closest of which they were headed toward now. A praying mantis settled itself on Fuu’s shoulder, giving directions in a language that Sakura didn’t understand.

 

“They must know we’re here,” Fuu chirped, “The signatures are getting closer at a much faster rate than we’re travelling.” Eagerness coated the Taki genin’s tone, though it was soft and lighthearted, with no anticipation of battle.

 

Through slitted eyes, Sakura skirted the horizon and the desert floor. “Then we should go undercover, it seems like they a-”

 

An overjoyed gasp sounded from Fuu. “One have them has bugs, like me! Ssu!” Without waiting for Sakura’s input, she shunshined forward at leaping pace, and eventually took to the sky with a set of rapid-beating wings.

 

Taken aback by the new discovery of her partner’s prowess in aviation, and the potential danger of the rival shinobi, Sakura raced to catch up. “Fu! You can’t run off like that.” Sakura skidded to a halt underneath the flying kunoichi, noticing that her gaze had shifted to the ground beneath them both.

 

An Ame nin burst from the ground below them, wielding a small umbrella that sprouted several senbon. The ame nin steadied herself on the ground, then pulled the umbrella back into a defensive stand. Surfacing from the same head-hunter jutsu hole that she had come from, was Shino Aburame of the leaf.

 

Sakura charged chakra into her feat to push away from the impending senbon attack, but Fuu pulled her upwards instead. “Rude. Seems like they don’t wanna be friends. Ssu.” Fuu drops Sakura several meters away from where the senbon has dispersed, letting her down gently and with a slight pat on the back. “We don’t have you’re scroll,” she offered lightly, nodding at the matching ‘earth’ kanji of the other team’s scroll.

 

The ame kunoichi closes her umbrella reluctantly, and casts a wary glances at Fuu. She nods brusquely then asks, “You’re from Takigakure?” Her face is blank, and her posture is as inviting as a prowling panther. “Fuu, yes?”

 

Joy ignites the Taki nins eyes. “Yeah! Yeah I’m Fuu from Takigakure, ssu!” She flutters down from her position in the air, and leans a little too close for safety in the other kunoichi’s face. “Wanna be friends?” Her hands clasp together in anticipation, gossamer wings fluttering one hundred times faster than they had been in the air. 

 

Several thousand alarms go off in Sakura’s mind. Everything about the Ame kunoichi, from the senbon throwing umbrella, to the thick coat probably hiding dozens of weapons, screams danger. She takes a few steps toward Fuu, but stops herself from placing a protective hand on her shoulder. After all, she’s only know the other teen for a day.

 

A plastic smile steals the ame kunoichi’s lips. “I’d love to be friends with you, Fuu.” The words fall from her lips like polluted rain, with no real purpose or serenity. Behind her, Shino’s hidden eyes are no-doubt staring at the praying mantis on Fuu’s shoulder.

 

“You have bug summons?” He starts, the same kind of childish excitement has an undertone in his words. Its feels strange for Sakura to hear it coming from Shino, but it’s comforting to hear another warm voice. 

 

“Hell yeah I do!” Fuu brings her fist to her sides, complex eyes shimmering with enthusiasm. “You do too! I sense them, ssu!” Her hands come to a hold on Shino’s face, prodding at his pores. In response, the Aburame lets millions of tiny insects spilled from under his coat, clouding about the green-haired newcomer. 

 

Sakura, feeling somewhat abandoned, directs her attention back to the Ame kunoichi. “I’m Sakura,” she supplies, too wary of the other ninja to give full names. She extends a hand toward the kunoichi, desperately trying to peel her harrowing gaze from Fuu.

 

The kunoichi stares at Sakura’s hand for a heartbeat, as though unsure of what to do. Then, she takes it lightly in her grip, still unsure. “Fuyo.” Her name comes as a gargled mutter, chestnut eyes already wandering back to Fuu, still playing with Shino’s bugs.

 

“...and then Shibuki-Sama  _ finally _ agreed to let me take the exams! He was stubborn but everyone gets tired of me eventually, ssu!” Fuu drawls on, spilling out any thought that popped into her head. Shino listens intently, like Moses witnessing Yaweh on the mountain.

 

A blossom of pity bloomed in Sakura’s bosom. What kind of environment is Fuu so used to that she is well aware of people not liking her?  _ She must not have any friends back there _ , Sakura muses,  _ That’s why she resorted to foreign companionship. _

 

“Hey, Miss Sakura! They wanna team up, ssu!” The pink haired kunoichi is broken from her thoughts by her partner’s familiar buzz. “We can take on more teams that way, and get the heaven scroll, and  _ make friends.” _ Fuu’s face illuminates with childlike joy, peculiar eyes glistening with excitement.

 

Eyeing the Ame nin, Sakura nods reluctantly. Fuyo’s presence seems dull and out of place in the warm interactions between Fu and Shino. Her attire is composed of only hazy grays and muted purple, and half of her face is obstructed by dark hair. There’s a tenseness in her face that is only worn by experienced shinobi, who’s skill has come at a price of comfort. Fuyo’s eyes look strained and  _ hungry _ , not a shred of warmth in them.

 

“That would be...efficient,” the Konoha medic mutters. 

 

Fu springs into the air in a delighted hop. “Super bug squad roll out, ssu!” Her warm voice provides Sakura with a shred of security, though not enough to wash away the dread that dominated her mind.

 

“We encountered a mind-transfer jutsu user.” Fuyo says after the group starts moving again. “Shino and I had to flee, but she and her partner weren’t able to track us.” The ame nin adjusts sleeve of her jacket. “She was with a Suna medic.”

 

Before she can reply, Sakura is cut off by the whirring sound of senbon by her ear. She ducks away in time, letting the needle soar past her. As she whirls around, she spots Fuu with a needle buried deep into her neck, consciousness seeping out of her eyes like blood trailing from a wound.

 

From a cloud of mist come more senbon and, eventually, a person. Every identifiable feature of the figure is covered in a black bandana and mask, thick hair, and a shapeless poncho.

 

Recognition cuts through Sakura faster than the needles that whiz past her ears. She ducks to catch Fuu, only to find a fist bludgeoning the back of her neck. Terror sends her into a jittering frenzy as she rears back, attempting to thwart her attacker.

 

The ninja behind her - a kunoichi, Sakura realizes - grabs a fist full of Sakura’s hair and slams her into the rocky earth, from her last wisp of hazy consciousness, Sakura makes out Shino’s crumpled form several meters away, the triumphant snickers of all three Ame nin above her, and soft warmth of Fuu’s chakra.

  
  



End file.
